THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME Senior Jay Cannon enters tonight's game with an nine-game hitting streak after going 2-for-3 with a home run at UNCW (Mar. 19) ... Junior Jack Reinheimer leads the team with a .355 batting average ... Junior Drew Reynolds leads C-USA and is ranked sixth in the nation with six saves (6-for-6 in save opportunities ... Freshman NIck Durazo will be making his second career start tonight against the Panthers.

ODDS AND ENDS Going into the week, ECU ranks second in the league with a .295 average just one point behind C-USA leader Houston (.296) ... On the flipside of things, the Pirates' pitching staff ranks dead last with a 5.08 ERA ... The starters have a 3.68 ERA with 84 strikeouts to 40 walks in 110.0 innings, while the bullpen has struggled with a7.65 ERA with 45 punch outs and 44 walks in 60.0 frames.

 Redshirt freshman David Lucroy earned Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Week honors after tossing a two-hit complete game shutout against Monmouth (Mar. 10) in the series clinching win ... The right-hander struck out a career-high 12 batters with nine going down swinging ... It was the first complete game shutout since Seth Maness' 4-0 win over Southern Miss in the 2011 Conference USA Championships.

 Entering this weeks action, the Pirates have won four-straight weekend series after taking 2 of 3 games on the road at Jacksonville ... ECU has the fifth highest RPI in the league (106/BoydsWorld and 107/WarrenNolan) ... Houston leads the league with a 16-4 record and has an RPI of 52 (BW) and 48 (WN).

 Reynolds notched his sixth save of the season and 16th of his career against the Dolphins on Sunday ... His 16 career saves moves him into a tie for third place on the school's all-time list with former All-American Greg Bunn (2002-04).

 Nine first year players have seen action on the diamond this season through 11 games ... If you include players that redshirted during their first year in the Pirate program (2012 season), then 12 newcomers have stepped on the field during the regular season.

 After an 0-3 start, the Pirates have moved up the C-USA leader board and are currently tied for fourth in the standings with a .579 winning percentage ... ECU was picked third in the 2013 Conference USA preseason poll (by league coaches) after going 13-10-1 in league play a season ago, finishing in sixth.

SERIES HISTORY The Pirates and the Seahawks renew their rivalry tonight at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C. ... ECU holds the all-time series lead 72-55 ... Last year the two clubs split a pair of games winning on each others home field ... ECU won at Brooks Field 10-3 on April 2, while UNCW claimed a series split at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium with a 10-1 victory on April 17.

PIRATES TO WATCH (prior to start of week)
Bolton Notes: Bolton is scheduled to make his first collegiate start against UNCW (Mar. 19) ... Appeared in seven games allowing seven runs (all earned) on nine hits with four walks and six strikeouts ... Has not surrendered a run in his last three outings (2.2 IP) recording one strikeout ... 2012: Made three relief appearances surrendering three runs (two earned) on three hits with a pair of walks in 1.0 inning.

 Durazo Notes: Scheduled to make his second collegiate start against High Point (Mar. 20) ... In first career start vs. ODU (Mar. 12) allowed two runs (both earned) on six hits with three strikeouts in six full frames ... Appeared in four games on the season allowing nine runs (all earned) on 11 hits with three strikeouts and five walks in 8.0 innings ... High School: Three-year letterwinner at Lee County High School ... Earned preseason All-Atlantic Honorable Mention accolades by Perfect Game as a senior ... Posted a 4-2 record with a pair of saves in 2012 ... Sported a 1.51 ERA with 101 strikeouts to just 36 walks in 69.1 innings.

 Cannon and Reinheimer each collected a team-high seven hits last week during the Pirates 2-3 week ... Cannon batted .333 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and five runs scored, which also tied for the team lead.

 Reinheimer had an impressive weekend going 7-for-14 (.500) with a double, two RBI and two runs scored ... In game two of the series against Jacksonville, he was 5-for-6 tying his career-high in hits ... On the year he leads ECU and C-USA with a .375 (27-for-72) average with a home run, nine RBI, three doubles, seven walks and 11 runs scored.

 Freshman Luke Lowery has hit a home run in consecutive contests entering tonight's game ... Last week he batted .364 (4-for-11) with two homers, five RBI and two runs scored ... He belted his first collegiate home run in the Pirates seven-run sixth inning on Saturday (2-run shot) and had the game-winning RBI on a solo home run in the fourth inning in Sunday's contest.

 Junior Zach Houchins had a solid week at the plate for ECU batting .455 (5-for-11) with a home run, six RBI and four runs scored ... At Campbell he laced a bases loaded double scoring three runs in the fifth frame ... During the Pirates 16-9 victory at Jacksonville on Saturday, he smacked his second homer of the year, a two-run shot in the third inning ... He has started 16 of 17 games played at third bating .245 with 13 RBI and 11 runs scored.

 After starting the season 0-3, the Pirates have won 11 of its last 16 games, which include three wins in the 10th Annual Keith LeClair Classic, a series sweep of St. John's, a series win against Monmouth and at Jacksonville ... ECU Head Coach Billy Godwin improved his career coaching record to 526-255-1 and his Pirate record to 264-170-1 ... His 264 wins trails only ECU Hall of Famer Dr. Gary Overton, who amassed 427 wins in 13 years (1985-1997) as the Pirates' skipper.